Food bar

ABSTRACT

A ready-to-eat food bar including of agglomerated particles of one or more cereal bases is provided. The cereal bases include primarily amalyceous materials and optionally milk solids. The agglomerated particles are coated with a binder which includes sugars, milk solids, humectants or fat and optionally milk solids. A process for manufacturing the ready-to-eat food bar is also provided.

BACKGROUND OF THE ART

[0001] 1. Field of Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a ready-to-eat food bar and to aprocess for manufacturing it.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,685 to Persson et al. discloses a biscuitcomprising agglomerated granules of a cooked-extruded base coated with abinder, the base comprising from 40 to 80 parts by weight of cerealflour, up to 20 parts sucrose and from 0.5 to 3 parts of oil or fat, andthe binder comprising from 8 to 30 parts by weight of sucrose and/ormixtures of glucose and its polymers.

[0005] PCT Application WO89/04121 assigned to HEINZ SCHAAF OHG disclosesa process for manufacturing cereals by cooking-extruding a mixture ofcereal material, vegetable and/or fruits with a partial amount of sugarand milk, cutting the expanded rope of cooked-extruded mixture intopieces having a large surface, spraying an aqueous suspension of sugarand milk onto the just cut, hot and moist pieces, coating the moistenedpieces with a remaining part of components in powder form and drying thecoated pieces.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The present invention is a ready-to-eat food bar which includesagglomerated particles of amylaceous material, sugars and optionallymilk solids. The food bar of the invention is nutritionally valuable andhas a soft texture while retaining the crunchiness of cereal.

[0007] The amylaceous material of the ready-to-eat food bar of theinvention includes one or more cooked cereal bases which are coated witha binder. Advantageously, the binder includes sugars, milk solids,humectants and fat.

[0008] The present invention is also a process for manufacturing theready-to-eat food bar. This process includes the steps of preparing adry mixture of particles of one or more cooked cereal bases whichincludes mainly amylaceous materials and optionally milk solids, mixingthe dry mixture with a binder having sugars, milk solids, humectants andfat and forming the mass thus obtained into a bar shape.

[0009] It has surprisingly been found that it was possible in this wayto provide a food bar which is ready-to-eat, namely, it can be eatenjust by scrunching it, is nutritionally valuable and has a soft texturewhile retaining the crunchiness of cereal.

[0010] Other improvements which the present invention provides over theprior art will be identified as a result of the following descriptionwhich sets forth the preferred embodiments of the present invention. Thedescription is not in any way intended to limit the scope of the presentinvention, but rather only to provide the working example of the presentpreferred embodiments. The scope of the present invention will bepointed out in the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] In the present context, the expression “being nutritionallyvaluable” means a food bar which is rich in milk protein and calcium andwhich is based on amylaceous materials and sugar comprising, in percentby weight, from about 5.5% to about 27.5% of milk solids nonfat and fromabout 2.5% to about 25% of milk fat and/or vegetable fat.

[0012] In addition to relatively small amounts of each of residualwater, ash, dietary fibers, vitamins and minerals, the present food barcan generally comprise, in percent by weight, from about 4% to about 12%of protein, from about 50% to about 80% of available carbohydrate andfrom about 2.5 to about 25% of fat.

[0013] The expression “has a soft texture while retaining thecrunchiness of cereal” means that the cereal particles are crunchywithin the bar while the binder, namely the continuous phase of the baris soft.

[0014] The expression “particles of cooked cereal bases” covers, forexample, any possible kind of cereal in piece form such as rolledcereals, gun puffed grains, cereal flakes and/or cooked-extrudedcereals.

[0015] The term “food bar” means a food product having a massive shapewhich can be eaten by hand, no limit being set as to the choice of theshape which can be for example, a bar as well as a stick, a ball, aheart, a star, a bear or a banana.

[0016] The present food bar can include from about 5.5% to about 27.5%of milk solids nonfat, from about 2.5% to about 25% of milk fat and/orvegetable fat, from about 30% to about 60% of amylaceous material, fromabout 5% to about 30% of sugars, from about 2.5% to about 15% ofhumectants and from about 1.0% to about 7.0% of residual water.

[0017] The present food bar can further comprise up to about 3% ofadditional calcium, preferably in form of calcium carbonate or milkcalcium, in addition to the calcium already present in the milk solidsnonfat.

[0018] The food bar can also further comprise added vitamins, mineralsand/or a source of dietary fibers.

[0019] The milk solids can be incorporated into the food bar in twoparts, a first part being incorporated into the cooked cereal basis anda second part being incorporated into the binder, or in one part, allincorporated into the binder.

[0020] The milk solids nonfat in the cooked-extruded bases can bepowdered skimmed milk.

[0021] The milk solids in the binder can be milk solids from fresh milk,milk solids from condensed milk and/or milk powder.

[0022] The milk fat and/or vegetable fat can be, for example, butter oiland/or vegetable fat such as partially hydrogenated sunflower or rapeseed fat having a melting point of from about 33° C. to about 39° C.

[0023] The amylaceous material useful in the present invention includes,without limitation, a cereal flour, a starch and/or maltodextrin.

[0024] The cereal flour can be, for example, wheat, barley, oat, riceand/or corn flour.

[0025] The starch can be a native starch obtained from wheat, barley,rice and/or corn, preferably, high amylose starch.

[0026] Useful sugars for the present invention include, withoutlimitation, sucrose, dextrose, fructose, glucose syrup, invert sugarand/or maltose syrup in dry or liquid form.

[0027] The possible source of fiber material can be without limitation acereal bran.

[0028] Beside sugars and milk solids, the binder comprises humectantsand it can further comprise emulsifiers.

[0029] The humectants can be glycerol and/or sorbitol.

[0030] The emulsifier can be one or more mono- or di-glycerides ofedible fatty acids, preferably of vegetable origin, or lecithin.

[0031] Natural and/or artificial antioxydants can also be added in orderto prolong the shelflife of the bar, such as tocopherols, BHA, BHT andmixtures thereof, for example.

The Process for Manufacturing the Food Bar

[0032] As stated above, the present process for manufacturing aready-to-eat food bar includes preparing a dry mixture of particles ofone or more cooked cereal bases, which bases include primarilyamylaceous materials and optionally milk solids; mixing the dry mixturewith a binder which comprises primarily sugars, milk solids, humectantsand fat and forming the mass thus obtained into a bar shape.

Preparing Particles of Cooked Cereal Bases

[0033] Particles of cooked cereal bases can be any of those known to theman skilled in the art, including, without limitation, rolled cereals,gun puffed grains, cereal flakes and/or cooked-extruded cereals.

[0034] Rolled cereals can be prepared by cooking grains (whole or grits)with a liquor comprising sugar, malt, salt and vitamins, partiallydrying, rolling and flaking them.

[0035] Puffed grains can be prepared for example, by puffing wholegrains of wheat or rice in a gun or in an oven.

[0036] Cereal flakes are prepared by methods, including, withoutlimitation, cooking cereal grits or grains with a liquor, formingpellets out of the cooked mass thus obtained, rolling, toasting andoptionally them with sugar.

[0037] Cooked-extruded cereals are prepared bycooking-extruding-expanding a mixture mainly comprising amylaceousmaterials and optionally milk solids, thus obtaining a rope of athermoplastic mass having a porous texture, cutting the rope into piecesand optionally coating the pieces with sugar.

[0038] The preferred cooked-extruded-expanded cereals can be prepared bycooking-extruding-expanding at about 120° C. to about 170° C. underabout 40 bar to 160 bar for about 5 to about 50 seconds a mixturecomprising, in parts by weight, up to about 27.5 parts of milk solidsnonfat, up to about 12.5 parts of milk fat and/or vegetable fat, fromabout 50 to about 90 parts of amylaceous material, up to 12 parts ofsugars, and added water up to a water content of from about 11% to about19% by weight of the mixture, thus obtaining a rope of a thermoplasticmass having a porous texture, cutting the rope into pieces andoptionally drying them.

[0039] The mixture can be prepared by first mixing together the powderycomponents to obtain a dry mix and then mixing the dry mix and theliquid or fluid components.

[0040] This mixing step is carried out in a first mixing section of atraditional food extruder, preferably a twin screw extruder.

[0041] Cooking the mixture is then be carried out in subsequent sectionsof the extruder where the mixture is heated, compressed and sheared sothat it forms a cooked thermoplastic mass.

[0042] The thermoplastic mass is extruded by having it pushed by theextruder screw or twin screw through the openings of a die provided forat an end of the extruder.

[0043] The die may have one or more circular openings having from about2 mm to about 5 mm in diameter.

[0044] The thermoplastic mass can be expanded by extruding it throughthe die into an open space at ambiant temperature and at atmosphericpressure.

[0045] Water is lost in form of steam escaping the thermoplastic massduring expansion so that the rope thus obtained has a porous texture andmay have a water content of from about 5% to less than about 11%, forexample.

[0046] The rope of expanded thermoplastic mass thus obtained can be cutinto pieces by using a two or more blade cutter rotating adjacent to thedie openings of the extruder.

[0047] Drying the food bar pieces can be carried out on a belt dryerwith hot air.

[0048] Preferably, the dried pieces are then coated with a sugarsolution and dried again. The coating step can be carried out in atumbler where a sugar solution can be sprayed onto the tumbling pieces,for example.

[0049] The sugar solution comprises from about 50% to about 60% sugar,from about 3% to about 10% dextrose, from about 0.5% to about 1.5% oiland from about 10% to about 40%, especially from about 25% to about 35%water. The sugar solution can also include without limitation, cocoapowder, sodium chloride and aroma.

[0050] The amount of sugar solution to be used can be such that theweight proportion of coating on the coated pieces is from about 10% toabout 40%, preferably from about 15% to about 25%.

[0051] The coated pieces can then be finally dried down to a residualwater content of about 3% or less, preferably about 2% or less.

Preparing the Binder

[0052] As a whole, the binder can include, in parts by weight, fromabout 10 to about 70 parts of sugars, from about 5 parts to about 30parts of humectants, from about 5.5 to about 27.5 parts of milk solidsnonfat, from about 10 to about 35 parts of milk fat and/or vegetablefat, up to 10 parts of cocoa powder, up to about 5 parts of emulsifierand added water up to a water content of from about 5% to about 15%.

[0053] The binder can be prepared by mixing together its dry componentsin powdered form with its fluid components in liquid form.

[0054] Milk solids which can be optionally included into the binder canbe incorporated in the form of fresh milk, condensed milk and/or of milkpowder.

[0055] Water can be added as such, as water contained in condensed milkor as water contained in fresh milk.

[0056] Sugar can be added as such and/or as sugar contained, forexample, in sweetened condensed milk.

[0057] A preferred binder comprises condensed sweetened milk, in anamount of from about 20 to about 45 parts by weight, for example. Inthis case, the binder can be prepared by mixing the components in adouble walled tank while heating to a temperature of from 105° C. to117° C., thus concentrating the mixture up to a dry matter content offrom 80% to 95%, preferably of from 90% to 92%, and then cooling down toa temperature in a range of from about 33° C. to about 80° C.

Mixing Particles and Binder

[0058] A dry mix of particles can be prepared and mixed with the binderin a flowable state, namely at a temperature such that the fatcomponents are in a liquid state, especially at a temperature of fromabout 33° C. to about 80° C.

[0059] Mixing particles and binder can be carried out by means of anygentle, especially continuous mixer which does not damage the cerealparticles, such as a screw mixer of the helical spring type with anaxial sprinkling nozzle, a coating drum or a paddle mixer.

[0060] The dry mix and the binder can be mixed at a rate of about 40 toabout 70 parts by weight of dry mix and about 60 parts to about 30 partsby weight of binder, while optionally adding thereto additional cereals,fruits having an adequate water activity (Aw) or nuts, for example.

[0061] The mass thus obtained preferably has an Aw of from 0.1 to 0.5(water content of from 1 to 7%), and more preferably an Aw of from 0.1to 0.3 (water content of from 1 to 3%).

Shaping the Bar

[0062] The flowable mass obtained above can be formed into a bar shapeby sheet-cutting, sheet-moulding, moulding or pressing through anopening and cutting.

[0063] The ready-to-eat food bar may then be coated with a sweet coatingsuch as a chocolate coating or a coating reminiscent of white chocolatesuch as a mixture of a milk powder and fat, for example. The bar thuscoated can be finally provided with any decorating usual in theconfectionary art.

[0064] The ready-to-eat food bar can be conditioned in a packingproviding for its protection against humidity, such as a packing made ofa film with aluminum foil, or a metallised foil.

[0065] The following example is given as illustration of a preferredembodiment of the ready-to-eat food bar and of the process for itsmanufacture according to the present invention. This example is notintended in any way to limit the scope of the invention which is definedin the appended claims. The parts and percentages are by weight.

EXAMPLE

[0066] A ready-to-eat food bar having particles of a cooked-extrudedwheat base was manufactured by first preparing, a mixture which had thefollowing composition, (in parts, except added water): wheat flour 41wheat starch 18 oat flour 9 wheat bran 9 calcium carbonate 0.5 addedwater, up to a water content of 19%

[0067] In preparing the mixture, the powders were first mixed togetherto obtain a dry mix. The dry mix and added water were then mixedtogether in the extruder. The mixture obtained in this way wascooked-extruded-expanded with the aid of a BC-45H type CLEXTRAL twinscrew extruder having a screw diameter of 55 mm and a total processinglength of 800 mm. Cooking-extruding was carried out at 150° C. under 100bar for 30 seconds, the two intenneshing screws rotating at 300 rpm. Thecooked thermoplastic mass obtained in this way was extruded through adie having eight circular openings of 3 mm in diameter.

[0068] The thermoplastic mass was extruded into ambiant air andimmediately cut with a two blade cutter rotating adjacent to the openingat 2000 rpm.

[0069] The particles of cooked-extruded-expanded wheat base obtained inthis way expanded after cutting so that they were about 5 mm indiameter. They had a water content of about 10.6%.

[0070] The particles were then dried with hot air on a belt dryer to aresidual water content of about 2.9%.

[0071] The dried pieces were coated with a sugar solution in a tumbler.

[0072] The sugar solution comprised about 59% sugar, about 10% dextrose,about 1% oil and about 30% water.

[0073] The amount of sugar solution used was such that the weightproportion of coating on the coated pieces was about 20%. The coatedparticles were then finally dried down to a residual water content ofabout 2%.

[0074] A binder was prepared which had the following composition(parts): skim milk powder 12.5 glucose syrup 9.4 sorbitol syrup 7.2invert sugar 11.5 condensed sweetened milk (29% 33.5 water, 43% sugar)sodium chloride 0.3 hydrogenated vegetable fat 13.4 (melting point 39°C.) mixture of vegetable mono and diglycerides 0.6 Glycerine 6.7 Water5.0

[0075] In preparing the binder, the components were mixed together in adouble walled tank while being heated to 114° C. until the mixture wasconcentrated up to a dry matter content of 91%. The binder was thencooled down to a temperature of 75° C.

[0076] 50 parts of particles of a cooked-extruded wheat base and 50parts of binder were gently mixed by means of a mixer of the helicalspring type.

[0077] The mass thus obtained was formed into a bar shape by sheetingdown to a thickness of 1 cm and cutting individual bars 3 cm in widthand 10 cm in length.

[0078] The bars had a water content of 5.3% and an Aw value of 0.35.

[0079] The bars had a soft texture while retaining the crunchiness ofthe cooked-extruded-expanded wheat base. They had an appetizing tasteand could be eaten as they were. They were nutritionally valuable, eachindividual bar representing a complete meal just as it was.

[0080] Thus, while we have described what are the preferred embodimentsof the present invention, further changes and modifications can be madeby those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit ofthe invention, and it is intended to include all such changes andmodifications as come within the scope of the claims set forth below.

What is claimed is:
 1. A ready-to-eat food bar comprising agglomeratedparticles of one or more cooked cereal bases and a binder, the cookedcereal bases comprising amylaceous material and the binder comprisingsugars, milk solids, humecants and fat.
 2. The ready-to-eat food baraccording to claim 1, wherein the cooked cereal bases further comprisemilk solids.
 3. The food bar according to claim 1, comprising, inpercent by weight, from about 4% to about 12% of protein, from about 50%to about 80% of available carbohydrate and from about 2.5% to about 25%of fat.
 4. The food bar according to claim 1, comprising, in percent byweight, from about 5.5% to about 27.5% of milk solids nonfat, from about2.5% to about 25% of milk fat or vegetable fat, from about 30% to about60% of amylaceous material, from about 5% to about 30% of sugars, fromabout 2.5% to about 15% of humectants and added water up to a watercontent from about 1.0% to about 7%.
 5. The food bar according to claim1, which has an Aw value of from about 0.1 to about 0.5.
 6. A processfor manufacturing a ready-to-eat food bar, comprising: preparing a drymixture of particles of one or more cooked cereal bases, the basescomprising amylaceous materials; mixing the dry mixture with a binder toform a mass, the binder comprising sugars, milk solids, humectants andfat; and forming the mass thus obtained into a bar shape.
 7. The processaccording to claim 6, wherein the cooked cereal bases further comprisemilk solids.
 8. The process according to claim 6, whereby the particlesof cooked cereal bases are rolled cereals, gun puffed grains, cerealflakes or cooked-extruded cereals.
 9. The process according to claim 8,wherein the cooked-extruded-expanded cereals are prepared by thefollowing steps: cooking-extruding-expanding at about 120° C. to about170° C. under from about 40 bar to about 160 bar for about 5 seconds to50 seconds a mixture comprising, in parts by weight, up to about 27.5parts of milk solids nonfat, up to about 12.5 parts of milk fat orvegetable fat, from about 50 to about 90 parts of amylaceous material,up to about 12 parts of sugars, and added water up to a water content offrom about 11% to about 19% by weight of the mixture; forming themixture into a rope of a thermoplastic mass having a porous texture,cutting the rope into pieces; and optionally drying the pieces.
 10. Theprocess according to claim 9, further comprising coating the driedpieces with a sugar solution and drying the sugar coated pieces.
 11. Theprocess according to claim 10, wherein the sugar solution comprises fromabout 50% to about 60% sugar, from about 3% to about 10% dextrose, fromabout 0.5% to about 1.5% oil and from about 10% to 40% water.
 12. Theprocess according to claim 6, wherein the binder comprises, in parts byweight, from about 10 parts to about 70 parts of sugars, from about 5 to30 parts of humectants, from about 5.5 to about 27.5 parts of milksolids nonfat, from about 10 parts to about 35 parts of milk fat orvegetable fat, up to about 10 parts of cocoa powder, up to about 5 partsof emulsifier and added water up to a water content of from about 5% toabout 15%.
 13. The process according to claim 6, wherein the milk solidsare incorporated into the binder in form of fresh milk, condensed milkor milk powder.
 14. The process according to claim 6, wherein the bindercomprises condensed sweetened milk in an amount of from about 20 toabout 45 parts by weight.
 15. The process according to claim 6, whereinthe binder is prepared by mixing the components in a double walled tankwhile heating to a temperature of from about 105° C. to about 117° C.,thereby concentrating the mixture up to a dry matter content of fromabout 80% to 95% and then cooling down to a temperature in a range offrom about 33° C. to about 80° C.